Meaning & use
potty training
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The process of teaching a young child to use the toilet.
Grammar: Uncountable: no plural and no 'a' before it. Say 'Potty training takes time', not 'a potty training'.
Patterns
- potty training takes time
- start potty training
- during potty training
Potty training usually starts when a child is around two years old.
She read several books about potty training before her son turned three.
Accidents are a normal part of potty training.
Common combinations
- start potty training
- We decided to start potty training during the summer holidays.
- potty training takes time
- Potty training takes time, so try to be patient.
- during potty training
- Rewards can help during potty training.
- potty training tips
- The website offers potty training tips for new parents.
Synonyms and how they differ
- toilet training
- A more formal term for the same process; 'potty training' is more common in everyday speech, especially with young children.
Word family
Practice
Which sentence uses 'potty training' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Potty training' is uncountable, so it cannot take 'a' or a plural form. Option 0 uses it correctly as a noun phrase with a verb. Option 1 incorrectly adds 'a', option 2 uses a plural, and option 3 uses it as a verb, which is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “potty training”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.